Highland Park senior Josh Aune, a Gophers commit, practices Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. He has excelled for the Scots in his first year at running back after previously playing receiver. (Jace Frederick / Pioneer Press)

Highland Park coach Dave Zeitchick knew he wanted to put Josh Aune in position to get as many touches as possible his senior season.

So, Aune, who played wide receiver for the Scots as a sophomore, and slot receiver as a junior, was making the move to running back. But why play the 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior athlete at running back instead of quarterback?

“We watched him throw,” Zeitchick joked.

Running back it is.

The move has paid early dividends for Highland Park (2-1), which heads into its Friday afternoon matchup with rival Central (1-2) in prime position to contend for the Twin City Maroon subdistrict title, thanks in large part to Aune. Through three weeks, the Gophers commit has rushed 55 times for 434 yards and eight touchdowns, and tacked on 12 catches for 120 yards and another TD.

“When you have a kid like that, you’ve got to get him the ball as many times as you can. We move him around a lot to get him the ball.” Zeitchick said. “I’ve known him his whole life, and he’s been kind of the Joe Mauer of his generation and group in St. Paul in all sports, and he’s just an explosive athlete. We had a lot of confidence that he would be successful running the ball.”

Aune’s transition to running back was relatively smooth. Zeitchick joked the only real problem is that Aune is so much taller than Scots quarterback Benny Hughes that he disrupts the signal caller’s sight lines.

The decision to play Aune at running back was made at a mini camp this summer. He was indifferent as to where he played on offense. Aune considers himself to be more of a defensive player, anyway, and already has 31 tackles as a linebacker this season.

The Gophers’ coaching staff told Aune he’ll be a special teams player when he first arrives on campus, with the opportunity to work his way into playing time on defense. If he stays around the same weight, Aune will be a safety in college. If he gains weight, he could play outside linebacker. Always more comfortable in the box, Aune is hoping for the latter.

Highland Park’s Josh Aune carries the ball during the second quarter of a football game against St. Croix Lutheran at Highland Park in St. Paul on Friday, September 4, 2015. Aune is the first St. Paul public school player to play on scholarship at Minnesota since Johnson running back Thomas Tapeh in 2003. (Holly Peterson / Pioneer Press)

Now back to this season, the one Aune has been looking forward to for years.

“I knew I was going to be, in some way, shape or form, a workhorse for this team,” he said. “That’s who I want to be. I want to be a guy that the guys can depend on and look to me when we need a big play. So, being the running back and getting 15-plus carries a game, that’s good. I’m glad they want to put the ball in my hands.”

But being that workhorse can be an exhausting task, particularly when you also play defense. Even on plays when he doesn’t get the ball, Zeitchick said Aune plays in an integral role in pass protection or lead blocking on sweeps to the outside. Aune started the year also playing on nearly every special teams unit, though that’s been cut back.

“He’s a machine,” Zeitchick said. “We’ve taken him off of as many special teams as we can because that gives him 90 seconds to two-and-a-half minute breaks and that’s all he needs.”

Aune’s signature performance to date came in Highland Park’s 40-21 win in Week 2 over Fridley, when he rushed 28 times for 334 yards and six touchdowns. Not bad for your second week on the job, though he deferred all credit to all of his blockers, from the linemen to the receivers.

“It makes my job a lot easier when those guys work as hard as they did that game,” Aune said.

Zeitchick said the entire team made “about as much improvement as we could have possibly made” from its Week 1 loss to Mound Westonka to its Week 2 win over Fridley. The progression continued last week with a win over Minneapolis Washburn. If the Scots continue to get better, might they be ready to make their first state tournament appearance?

With Aune toting the rock, all things seem possible.

“We like where we’re at,” Zeitchick said. “I think I have the best football player in the state of Minnesota … when it’s all said and done. He’s a Gopher, he’s going to play for the Gophers, so yeah, we’re going to ride him.”

Jace has covered a slew of sports since he joined the Pioneer Press in May 2015, but his primary duty is covering high schools. Jace enjoys the beat, even though he's been mistaken for a student on multiple occasions.

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